Christian Council condemns assault on handcuffed cleric, calls for calm and lawful action

The Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) has strongly condemned an assault on a handcuffed Christian cleric at the Police Headquarters in Accra. The Council emphasized that such actions undermine Ghana's religious harmony and warned against allowing a few individuals' reckless behavior to disrupt the nation's progress. The incident followed arrests of two religious leaders for allegedly making negative remarks about Prophet Mohammed.

Imam Masud Abdullah, 35, was detained after a video surfaced showing him encouraging violence against those who criticize the Prophet. Another case involved Apostle Daniel Junior Yaw Adjei, who was apprehended for comments on a video perceived as derogatory against the Prophet. Tensions rose after a video emerged of a Muslim cleric assaulting a handcuffed Apostle Adjei at the police station.

Sibamay Zakaria is the third suspect to be arrested in connection with the alleged assault. The CCG denounced both the offensive remarks and the subsequent calls for violence, urging both Christian and Muslim communities to refrain from retaliatory actions. They stressed the importance of avoiding such incidents to maintain the hard-won religious harmony in Ghana.

The Council called for immediate restraint and urged state institutions to investigate and prosecute any offenses strictly in accordance with law, irrespective of religion or public sentiment. They referenced Ghana's constitution and criminal laws to reinforce their stance. The Ghana Police Service has arrested three suspects so far, and the Police Professional Standards Bureau is investigating the assault, including the circumstances of the breach of custody.

The Minister for the Interior has directed the Inspector-General of Police to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.